Finally, some cool weather for my long run! Of course it fell on a step-back week, darn. Today I ran in 85 degrees, with a heat index of 90. Seriously. I don't think I've run when the heat index is below triple digits since May. It felt amazing! I was supposed to do 12 miles today; I ended up with 13.5 in a fast 1:48, an 8 minute pace on the nose.
This demonstrates what heat will do to you. I can run a 9:30 in the heat and be putting out more effort.
I wanted to go further, but I was getting hungry and thirsty. I didn't bring any fluids with me, relying on water fountains instead, and had 3 GU chomps; I think that despite the cool weather and overcast skies I was sweating enough to have perhaps needed some gatorade before I left. I decided to quit while I was ahead and get home before I got faint.
This run brings up an interesting question. Today I wore my lightweight New Balance which I have totally neglected because they are too narrow and not too padded. I have so much sweat in my Saucony's that I dreaded putting my feet into their dampness, so I went with the NB's. And I feel ok. There is very little cushioning, but I loved the lighter weight. They're a full 3 ounces lighter per shoe! Should I run the marathon in the New Balance (given that I have a few more successful trial runs)? Or stick with the Saucony's?
And now a review of...
ENDOMONDO.
Endomondo is basically a "Garmin" that you can download to your phone.Neat idea, right? Similar to Garmin, you can download your stats and the website has a workout community, etc. I loved the idea - Garmins are hundreds of dollars, but Endomondo membership is completely free. Unfortunately, I simply can't get the program to work. The biggest issue is that the satellite pick up is spotty. Check out this fantastic run of 833 miles completed in ten minutes. Yeah.
If I could find a satellite, I would have addressed the other issue: porting my phone. Not every phone works with an armband - in fact, there isn't one available for my Blackberry. But I heard that you can fit it into a particular generic armband and cut a little hole so you can access the control wheel! For my practice runs, I slipped the phone into a baggie and ran holding it. Obviously this was hard to do, especially while attempting to locate a satellite, but it also wasn't healthy for my phone. It steamed up inside the bag, even though is wasn't sealed, and my phone froze. I had to stop, remove my battery, and let it reboot.
I tried the program four times, with these results:
1. Found satellite after 9 minutes outside. Lost satellite within a minute; timer keeps ticking so your pace is totally off.
2. Never found satellite. Gave up and started running. Even at end of 5 miles still searching for satellite.
3. Found satellite in a few minutes, I started out with high hopes; realize halfway through that I'd lost the satellite again. Discovered that I'd run 833 miles when I got home.
4. Found satellite after over 25 minutes of waiting. Phone froze half a mile in. Gave up.
So...wish I could recommend Endomondo but I can't because of satellite issues. Too bad, it sounded like such a fantastic idea!
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That's such a bummer, great idea, just didn't work! We've had cooler temps up here and it's been so nice!! I can't get over how much more energy I have just from the change in the weather!!!
ReplyDeleteThat still sounds really freaking hot to me so you shouldn't let my posting of that elevation chart scare you at all! If you can run in that and that fast, that's incredible. As for the shoes, I'd say go with whichever ones feel the best all the way around. You still have some more time to test the NB if you are now leaning more towards those.
ReplyDeleteShoot... that is too bad that it didn't work for you. I hate how expensive Garmins are, but for as much as I use it, it was a worthwhile investment. I mean, when you depreciate it out over the # of times I have ran w/ it, it's not THAT expensive... :)
ReplyDeleteWell done on the run!!! The heat does make such a difference!!